I have the same problem. I had my oil changed last fri. They did use the synthetic oil, I asked 3 times to make sure! today was Thursday.. temps fell to minus 25 or so over nite.. but it did run when I got off work at 11pm. (last night)temp then was -12 below..Car is not in a garage. Today went out luckily an hour or so before work. Oil light came on...said

service. then the Stop motor. I shut it off , called a cab to get to work , and called the place where I had oil changed to make sure they did use synthetic oil and why it wouldnt run. The car did start right up tho. They said the oil could be too cold. Some guys at work told me to check tosee if the plug was in , if the oil had drained out. Or something about a plug? by the filter could come loose? I will prob have to call a tow truck, if I cant drive it. I dont see aheatwave in the near future. I seen something about a heated dipstick? can we get them? ha

I have the same problem. I had my oil changed last fri. They did use the synthetic oil, I asked 3 times to make sure! today was Thursday.. temps fell to minus 25 or so over nite.. but it did run when I got off work at 11pm. (last night)temp then was -12 below..Car is not in a garage. Today went out luckily an hour or so before work. Oil light came on...said
service. then the Stop motor. I shut it off , called a cab to get to work , and called the place where I had oil changed to make sure they did use synthetic oil and why it wouldnt run. The car did start right up tho. They said the oil could be too cold. Some guys at work told me to check tosee if the plug was in , if the oil had drained out. Or something about a plug? by the filter could come loose? I will prob have to call a tow truck, if I cant drive it. I dont see aheatwave in the near future. I seen something about a heated dipstick? can we get them? ha

1 Answer

My 2003 1.8L Passat at 62K indicated Oil Pressure, Stop Engine. I had been low on oil for longer than I realized, though the car didn't indicate to me anything. I added a quart 5-40 synthetic as usual, and about 300 miles mid way on a road trip is when the warning lit up!I had been to the dealer last year and there was a mention of sludge developing in these cars. They suggested I bring it in to remove sludge but life got busy, and it never happened. Evidently this model Passat is notorious for this oil sludge problem. My Passat needed a new oil pump $800 later half way between destination and home. Luckily I was in a town with a 30 VW mechanic who was very good. The sludge (carbon deposits) had blocked pump pickup. Oil level was good. The computer didn't show anything, but the oil pressure test discovered PSI went down when RPM's went up. Not good. This problem is very serious as it has ruined engines. I guess I was lucky in the fact that nothing else was damaged. So you may look into this build up. It sounds terribly familiar.

1 Suggested Answer

Hi,
a 6ya Mechanic can help you resolve that issue over the phone in a minute or two.
Best thing about this new service is that you are never placed on hold and get to talk to real repair professionals here in the US. click here to Talk to a Mechanic (only for users in the US for now) and get all the help you need. Goodluck!

Tell us some more! Your answer needs to include more details to help people.You can't post answers that contain an email address.Please enter a valid email address.The email address entered is already associated to an account.Login to postPlease use English characters only.

Related Questions:

I have to ask if you are sure the oil pressure drops first, or the engine stops first. The engine would stop if the oil pressure dropped below 5psi but only because the fuel pump would shut off. And it should start back up if that were the reason.
If something such as a relay or the ignition module is getting hot and killing the engine, it might have to cool down before it restarts. And the engine would stop then the oil pressure would drop to zero.

the new oil pressure is affected by the pump speed especially an oil pump that has done a lot of work. Low water pressure is usually a sign of engine wear particularly around the mains and bigends.As the motor ages and all the parts become worn more and more is lost into the crankcase. As you rev the motor the oil pressure increases and will maintain its pressure at around six or eight PSI.When you change the oil in the hydraulic tappets drain the oil away and so when you restart the engine after you have changed the oil the worn oil pump take some time to get new oil up and around the hydraulic tappets.This is a common problem with well used engines, it does not mean that they are not usable but it does mean they are starting to show their age.Regards

It could be the oil pressure sensor itself, or your oil pump going bad. If it's the oil pump you want to get it fixed or get a new motor as this will ruin the motor pretty quickly. the oil pressure sensor switch is only about 20$ and pretty easy to change. If you do have an oil pressure problem it will cost a bit more and the car should not be driven or started at all if that is the case as you can ruin it very very quickly.Thanks,Lee

The oil pump could be bad, or going bad. Oil pressure is effected by wear on the crankshaft main bearings and camshaft/s bearings. If those bearings are bad, that would make it lose oil pressure, but I wouldn't think it's time for a new motor at that mileage!!! I would find out what the actual oil pressure is, using a "wet gauge" or oil pressure gauge. The oil pressure sending could also be bad, giving false readings.

If your engine is free to move around, your engine may be losing rotational force to engine twist. Technically, when there is a sudden loss of rotational power in the engine rotating assembly, this could cause the oil pump to stop rotating for a split second. however, there are many more reasons that you need to get the mont replaced anyway.